8. SOMETIMES IT JUST TAKES LUCK

As part of the certification program  to operate the New York Airways V-107 from the roof of the Pan AM building, it was necessary to test at various elevations and temperatures. Denver was one of these test sites. The aircraft had been there for a couple of weeks and had completed that portion of the tests.

The next need for this aircraft was a competition at Forbes Air Base in Topeka, Kansas.  I was not part of the Denver Tests but I would be going to Topeka, with a new crew. Some maintenance was required prior to departing for Topeka and I brought the crew to do it. The original crew departed and left us to clean up their mess. We took over the rental cars they had and the first problem was to find them.

To accomplish the required maintenance it was necessary to remove the aft rotor.  All went well up to the reinstallation of the aft rotor hub.  The large nut that secures the rotor hub to the shaft requires a very high torque.  Special tools had been built, which involved a wrench with gear reduction and a large plate that prevented the rotor from turning.  We brought this tool with us, but during the operation the backup plate portion of the tool broke.

We only brought one tool so we were in big trouble.  It was Saturday and we had to leave for Topeka on Monday. I wasn’t sure if there was another tool available back home or if we could get it to us in time.

Now we needed luck, lots of it.  A close examination of the tool revealed a manufacturer’s name plate. Hard to believe, but the company was in Denver.  We found the location and it was close to the airport. We went to the plant, which was closed on Saturday, but had a guard at the gate. I identified us and told him we needed to talk to the president NOW!  He got the president on the phone and I explained our problem. He wasn’t sure he could help, but he would send someone to see what they could do, perhaps repair the broken plate.

We entered the plant and the gentleman with us looked up a location. We went there and there was a brand new backup plate – they had made an extra one.  We took the plate, I promised to get them paid for it and completed the job. 

The work was completed, test flight flown, and we departed for Topeka on Monday. Tom Green had gone ahead to Forbes Air Force Base, and arranged security for us. Forbes was a Strategic Air Command Base so security was extremely tight. When one of our competitors flew in without security clearance, the military police hauled them away to the lockup, and kept them there until they were cleared. 

This base has several Atlas missile sites in this area, and the crew changes are accomplished by busses. Some were several miles away. They were considering using helicopters, so they had us, Kaman, and Bell performing the crew changes for a week or so.  We also visited a missile site. There were two Air Force majors at the site with side arms. We were informed that if one of them attempted to launch the missile without authority the other one would shoot him. That never happened.

The demonstration seemed to be very successful but the Air Force  never adopted the program.

We returned home to prepare for another demonstration for the US Army at Fort Rucker, Alabama. That’s another story. 

Charles Kessler is a retired flight test engineer for Boeing’s Vertol helicopter division (formerly Piasecki Helicopter Co.). He joined Piesecki in 1947, in the company’s fourth year, and retired from Boeing in 1983. During his 37-year career he took part in the testing of prototypes and alterations of such models as the CH-47 Chinook and Sea Knight, the H-16, HRP-2, and the V-107. He taught the stability augmentation system to the German Luftwaffe. He has written about his experience in a blog called “Early Helicopter Years,” which can be found at http://helicopterstory.blogspot.com/.